Motorola DROID doesn't… have the hardware to support mobile hotspot creation

By on Aug 2, 2010 at 12:58 PM
mobile August 2, 2010

The Motorola DROID is scheduled to get a much anticipated update to the Android 2.2 operating system sometime this week. However, one of the features that Android 2.2 users enjoy, mobile hotspot creation, will not be available to original DROID loyalists. Speaking to Engadget, Verizon spokeswoman Brenda Raney said that the first DROID, “doesn’t have [the] hardware to support the mobile hotspot.” What do you think DROID owners? Do you think your DROID is missing some hardware, or do you think think Verizon wants you to buy some new hardware? Also, we’re curious… how many of you currently use a mobile hotspot/tethering on your cell phone?

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  • Trigger

    I use my Droid for a Hotspot all the time. I have an early addition iPad and it works great. Use it for my MacBook also. VZ just wants us to upgrade phones.

    • Bundle

      Same here…and I also never had a problem.

  • http://n/a Chaz

    Looks like its time to go back to rooting.

  • David

    Ha, thats great, i use my droid as a hotspot all the time.
    Thank god for root=)

  • Steve

    Pardon my overly opinionated underly fact based logic derived comment.

    The thing has a cell radio, it has a WiFi radio, you take packets from one, and you send them to the other. What more hardware does it need?

  • Fattychance

    Seems to work for all my friends with a Droid. Foolishness.

    It’s a perfect time to charge more.

  • navi

    so sad of you, VZW !! i understand they want people to buy the new phone but a lie is a lie. of course they will never bring to light that if you root it, it is possible since rooting your phone is “technically” wrong but that is no excuse. it’s like they hired the marketing people from Apple. smh.

  • R C

    Got an N1 last month so I could use it as a backup hotspot on T-Mo. Only done it a couple of times so the kids could play net-connected games on their iPod touches while driving.

  • ackbarman

    So what verizon is saying is that a crappy old iPhone 3G that is over 2 years old can act as a mobile hot spot but the Droid cant, hhmmm I guess verizon was a little short on everything the Droid “can” do.

  • Bruce

    this is just a misinformed Verizon Wireless employee that is clearly out of her league when it comes to anything above standard user information.

  • http://twitter.com/HartMichael Michael Hart

    Lies. I have a rooted (original) Droid and it runs a wifi tethering app just fine. It’s probably just senseless PR talk.

  • B-Rose

    Yeah, I call bullsh!t on this one. I’ve been using my UNROOTED Droid as a hotspot since it was just Android 2.0. USB tethering is even easier. This is a non-issue.

  • http://twitter.com/bored_agitated Francisco D.

    BULL

    I use hotspot creation on my old ass E71 all the time!

  • April C.

    I call BULL! I’ve been using hotspot/tethering on my (rooted) Droid. I haven’t had any problems with it.

  • Donovan

    yes Verizon, that makes plenty of sense. Droid doesn’t have the hardware to support mobile hotspot but it has the hardware to tether? LMAO they dont have to lie to me im buying a new phone soon anyway. Droid will be my backup to activate on road trips JUST FOR TETHERING FACTOR ALONE lol

    Scorpion FTW (i think its coming soon :D )

    • iPaul

      I know everyone is freaking out about Verizon’s lies….but they’re TECHNICALLY correct, because the Droid hardware requires a firmware for the WiFi radio. The phone technically beacons an ad-hoc network, which is strictly a peer-to-peer WiFi network protocol, whereas a true hotspot would act as a central hub to traffic data between connections.

      For instance, it’s the difference between your WIRELESS ROUTER at home, acting as a hub to connect all network clients not only to the internet, but also each other…and an AD-HOC WIRELESS CONNECTION FROM ONE LAPTOP TO ANOTHER. Yes, you can share one computer’s internet connection with the other, but it’s strictly peer-to-peer.

      I could be wrong. Feel free to criticize.

      That said, I used my Droid yesterday at work, using a wireless ad-hoc network, to download over 1 GB of data over the course of 24 hours, to include playing StarCraft II online. So Verizon is technically correct, but misleading in their statement.

      To you dumbass posters comparing wifi hotspots to USB tethering (saying that if it USB tethers, then it’s a hotspot), please run headfirst into a wall.

  • wallie

    you dont even have to root your droid to do that ive had a droid since day 1 and since then ive been using it as a wifi hot spot with apps that are on the market. why would verizon lie like that?

    • Gregory Liggins

      can i ask what app are you using for wifi hot spot for your Droid

  • Emily

    Hmm, I don’t think my phone knows it’s not capable of mobile hotspot creation because it does it all the time. Weird, I hope my phone doesn’t find out it’s doing things it’s not capable of.

    • JAG

      Its DROIDs revenge!

      I hope they dont try to dominate us after some updates in the future.

  • blackturtleneckandbluejeans

    Who cares..Its time to upgrade. Get on with it.

  • anon

    been tethering my phone via bluetooth to my netbook since I first got it on release last year…been using pdanet with no issues…

  • Bryan

    Not many people will understand or care but:

    1) This is the fault of the wifi chipset manufcaturer TI. They have not released a firmware for the Droid’s WL1271 chip that does AP mode.
    2) Froyo’s hotspot program requires AP mode.
    3) Android-Wifi-Tether (what most of you are incorrectly referring to as a hotspot tethering program) only does ad-hoc, not AP mode.

    We should ask TI to release a firmware that supports AP mode!

  • Chris

    Bummer…I would have been willing to pay the $20 for the feature. I guess I’ll now have to keep doing so for free.

  • jpjr

    No problem for me my DROID works fine!

  • drksilenc

    … if the palm pixi can be a hotspot theres no way in hell this couldnt be onelol. yes i know it can be there just being fools

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